How to Get Gardening Now, (No Digging Required)
The fastest way to get growing is to build on top of whatever you’ve already got going on.
The Joy Max Method of gardening is both the most beneficial to your soil and coincidentally, the easiest way to begin. Starting a garden doesn’t have to involve back-breaking work or a big yard. Whether you’re short on space or prefer a simpler approach, no-till gardening and grow bag container gardening are your hassle-free gateways to a future full of flowers and food.
No-Till Gardening: Simple Steps to Success
No-till gardening keeps the soil structure intact and enhances its health by reducing disruption. The basic idea is to layer barriers of biodegradable material, like newspapers and cardboard over weeds or grass you want gone. You can go to liquor stores like Specs and they literally have cardboard boxes stacked up for people to take. After you’ve made that barrier layer, get it good and soaked with a hose. Then layer organic materials — like compost, leaves, straw (not hay) — right on top of those layers. These layers decompose over time, enriching the soil beneath without the need to dig. It’s perfect for growing everything from vegetables to flowers, fostering a more sustainable ecosystem in your garden. This is great to do before summer starts, as no one really wants to garden in Austin in the summer anyway, and you can let the sun do most of the work, just scorching those compost layers to shit. Water these layers every so often, just to keep them cooking. By fall, they will have broken down. If you have clay soil, they’ll be amended enough to make room for roots to move. If you have hill country caliche, well, you’ll probably still have to add some topsoil, but you will definitely be able to plant some wildflowers. You can also cover carboard with mulch, like in the photo above, just so it’s less ugly. This will eventually also break down into your soil.
Benefits of No-Till:
Improves soil structure and health
Preserves the mycorrhizal network
Captures carbon from being released into the atmosphere
Increases water retention
Encourages beneficial insects and microbes
Means you don’t have to do all that annoying weeding
“But I want to get growing now”
Okay, okay. I did say you could do this quick. You can skip a lot of those steps if you want to get growing immediatly in the ground. You still need to make the barrier to keep the weeds contained, but you can just bring bags of topsoil and compost (organic always, we are trying to cultivate life in the soil) and dump it right on top of the cardboard. You can plant seeds with shallow roots right on top. You don’t want to plant taproot crops, like carrots, on top of cardboard for obvious reasons. But if you pick up seedlings from your local nursery— herbs being a great place to start— just make a hole in the cardboard and plug your seedlings right in.
Grow Bag Container Gardening: Versatility in a Bag
Grow bags offer a portable and efficient gardening solution, especially for those with limited space or poor soil conditions. These fabric containers ensure better aeration and drainage, promoting healthier root growth and preventing soil-borne diseases. They're ideal for vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and even root crops. I’ve already written an ode to grow bags. You can read it below.
By embracing no-till gardening and grow bags, you can create a vibrant and productive garden with minimal effort. This approach not only simplifies gardening but also promotes a more sustainable and enjoyable gardening experience. Start your garden today, no digging required!
